Eye of the Tortoise THE SEQUEL!
by LucklessMallory
Summary: Sequel to Eye of the Tortoise! Original fic posted by Grandlinegirl.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is an **RP** I did with my co-writer Grandlinegirl! She was also the person who played Sai in _What is Love? Baby Don't Hurt Me-_ Our first RP together was _Eye of the Tortoise_. She was in charge of posting that fic, so I get to post the sequel!

(Original) Eye of the Tortoise- http:/www . fanfiction . net/s/6318229/1/Eye_of_the_Tortoise

Naruto has just started a new life in a new town, escaping his troubles and embracing new opportunities. However, haunted by his past, he strives to become more independent, joining a gym so that he can become stronger. Lee Rock is a trainer at the Youthful Tortoise, and very eager to help the newcomer acheive his goal. But when Naruto's past tries to follow him into his new life, will he be able to cut his ties after all? And what sinister things are happening behind the scenes of the Youtful Tortoise, causing the unsuspecting male members to go missing?

* * *

><p>Lee hummed lightly and nuzzled Naruto's hair as the credits began to roll on the first <em>Die Hard<em>movie. He was propped back against the arm of the couch, with his husband snuggled up to his was a fleece blanket thrown over top them both, and it was quite cozy tonight. Lee's arms around Naruto shifted and hugged him tighter as he stifled a comfortable yawn.

"I definitely think that the first _Die Hard_was the best. The sequels really cannot compare." Lee murmured softly. He inhaled Naruto's delicious, tangy scent luxuriously, and curled his toes in a small stretch.

"Mmm..." Naruto sighed, gently nuzzling the strong chest he was pressed up against. He felt completely at ease, the two of them having a quiet night at home. His hand slipped onto Lee's stomach beneath the blanket and his pointer finger traced invisible patterns there.

"I think you're right. Plus..." Turning his face upwards, his lips curved into a teasing smirk. "You have to admit. Bruce Willis is pretty hot.

"Hm, I do not know… it is hard to compare when I have such a sexy blond in my arms." Lee teased with a grin. He shivered at Naruto's touch and felt warmth bloom in his chest. "He is much older now than when he starred in _Die Hard_, also. As well as he can pull off the bald look, I am not into older men."

Lee's hands slid up Naruto's back and then back down, gently massaging under the blanket. He snuck his fingers under Naruto's nightshirt to rub his bare skin, and kissed his temple affectionately.

"You are _such_a suck up!" Naruto chuckled, a shudder running through his body at the soft touch. His skin prickled as the chilled fingers ran over his warm skin and he shifted on the couch until he was seated snugly in Lee's lap. He pulled the blanket with him so they were nestled in a snug little cocoon.

"You only like me better because you can have me," he teased back, leaning in close. His hands slid beneath Lee's shirt and up his chest, feeling the hard muscles there.

Lee's voice thrummed deep in his chest, pleased with the change in position. He stretched his legs a little, and grinned up at Naruto. He settled his arms around the other's hips, and rested his hands subtly on the other's ass.

"I will not deny that I may have a certain bias here, but I still think that you are hotter than Bruce Willis. And sweeter, and cuter, and more handsome, and more beautiful, and with eyes that hold much more Youth than his." Lee winked and leaned up for a small, warm kiss. "He can kill all the terrorists that he can, but it will never compare to the accomplishments that _we_have made together, in my humble opinion."

Naruto shook his head slowly but his eyes shone with affection for the man he was currently perched on. He felt his insides melting, turning to goo as Lee spoke to him in that special voice that did terrible things to him.

Leaning forward, he nipped at a plump bottom lip, kneading it lightly between his teeth. "You know... I don't think I mind your sucking up. It might just work..."

"It is not 'sucking up'." Lee corrected, shifting in his seat and gripping Naruto a bit tighter. It was a bit awkward to talk while Naruto was holding his bottom lip captive, but he wasn't about to complain. "It is called 'fawning over', and I would do it all day every day without end if I could. You make it so easy for me to do…"

Lee finally gave into his little desires and slid his hands beneath the fabric of Naruto's pajama pants to gently grope his husband's ass. He loved Naruto's ass. It was always so firm and warm in his hands, yet still soft like putty. Lee surged forward to kiss Naruto properly, and darted his tongue out to caress the other's lips. He used his hold on Naruto's behind to pull their bodies closer, and gave a hum of pleasure.

Naruto's eyes slid closed and he let out a contented sigh as warm lips covered his own, giving himself over fully to the kiss. His hands slid down the taught chest and stomach, his nails dragging until he pulled them free of the clothing. They slid back up and around Lee's neck, his fingers tangling in the dark hair at his husband's nape.

The blonds' body was already beginning to heat up and he parted his lips to meet the wandering tongue with his own. His hips ground downwards and he moaned softly into their joined mouths, the sound getting lost in the midst.

Lee's breath came quicker and he groaned under his breath as Naruto responded to their bodies' needs. He'd been with Naruto for almost four years now, and he was honestly surprised at how strong this part of their relationship remained. Every moment was a mix of delicious pleasure and tenderness, even when they were in the mood to get rough or even just playful.

Heat, molten lava seemed to course through Lee's body as their kiss deepened, and their clothes began to strip away. Naruto's hands were everywhere, and he was trying to return the favor as best he could. Everywhere they touched was alight with hot tingles. Lee's head swam and his tongue slid with Naruto's.

Their moment was suddenly penetrated by a sharp rapping at the door.

"Not...now...!" Naruto panted as he tore himself away from Lee. His chest was heaving and his lips burned as he turned to glare at the door, already angry with whoever was on the other side for interrupting them just when it was getting good.

Tugging his clothes back onto place, the blond slipped from Lee's lap and groaned as he eyed the bulge in his pants. Flushing, he reached down and quickly adjusted himself before storming across the room. "This better be important..." he grumbled under his breath before pulling the door wide open.

A man stood on the other side, dressed in a crisp black suit. His face was riddled with impatience and he carried a black leather briefcase in his hand. Clearing his throat, he eyed Naruto's dishevelled appearance with distaste. "I need to speak with a Mr. Lee Rock. Is he here?"

"Um, yeah..." Naruto's brows furrowed and his stomach fluttered with unease. Turning slightly, his eyes sought Lee's, swirling with confusion.

Lee was just pulling his shirt back on, and raised a brow at the visitor. It wasn't anyone that he knew personally, that was for sure. His eyes moved to the clock on the wall, and he huffed in surprise. It was almost eleven o'clock at night, why would anyone be visiting them _now?_

"I am Lee Rock." He said, raising a hand in greeting and standing from the couch. He walked over to Naruto's side and raised a brow at the suited man. "Forgive me if I am being rude, but what are you doing here? It is very late at night."

"I apologize for the inconvenient time, but it was an emergency. My name is Steve Jacobson, and I am a lawyer who has worked for the Rock family for a long time now." The man readjusted the briefcase in his hand and gestured past the door. "May I come in?"

Lee swallowed thickly and felt himself nodding with wide eyes. The family lawyer? Lee's closest relatives were rather distant, and he hadn't seen them in _years_. They didn't even get along well. Now a lawyer was here, stating that this was an emergency? This… couldn't be good.

Lee cast a worried glance at Naruto, conveying his insecurity with this turn of events. He gestured for the man to step inside and closed the door behind him.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise and a thrill of fear ran though his body. A lawyer coming to visit late at night, proclaiming an emergency? It couldn't be good news. His gaze met Lee's and he shrugged but reached out and grasped his hand briefly, squeezing it.

He stiffly followed the man into the living room and watched as he seated himself on the couch, setting his briefcase down on the coffee table. Mr. Jacobson seemed perfectly at ease and that only worried him more. He didn't know that much about Lee's family and had never met them, but he knew of his husband's past and knew they really didn't have anything to do with him.

"What's going on?" the blond asked quietly, feeling itchy. The man seemed intent on drawing it out as he opened his briefcase and began rooting around inside of it, and Naruto thought he might go crazy. He could only imagine what Lee was feeling.

"Mr. Rock, I am sorry to tell you that there was a fire two days ago. Your cousin Kei Rock and his wife Aya Rock both died in their home that night." Mr. Jacobson seemed to finally find what he was looking for as he extracted a few choice papers from his briefcase and straightened them on the table.

"Kei… died?" Lee's eyes widened and a hand rose to his mouth in shock. To be honest, he hadn't really been close to his cousin at all. The last time he'd seen him was before Kei turned eighteen and moved out of his parent's house. Lee had heard that he had gotten married and worked in an office somewhere, but he didn't know much more than that.

When Lee was only four years old, his parents had both died. They'd been in the car together, on their way to pick him up from daycare, when a massive truck had slid into the wrong lane and hit them head on. The truck driver had survived, but Lee's parents had died on impact. With nowhere else to go, Lee had been shipped off to live with his distant aunt and uncle, his closest living relatives. They'd put up with him begrudgingly, but had focused most of their attentions on their own son, Kei. The boys had grown up in the same house, but rarely spoke to or played with each other. Kei was older, so he moved out before Lee could.

Naruto eyes automatically flicked to Lee and he stepped closer, placing his hand on Lee's back to try and offer some comfort. The shock was clear on the other's face and his heart sunk. He knew who Kei was and he wasn't sure how the news would be taken. It had obviously shaken him.

"I'm sorry, Lee," he said quietly, carding the fingers of his free hand through his hair. He was quiet for a few moments as the man confirmed that it was in fact true and an uncomfortable silence settled upon the room as the news sunk in. But something was bothering him.

"That's horrible news, but... Why is he hearing this from you instead of his family?"

"Because the rest of Mr. Rock's family is dead as well." The man answered bluntly. He finally looked up from his papers and met Lee's eyes. "You were already aware that your Aunt and Uncle passed away, is that correct?"

"Yes, Uncle died of cancer and my Aunt did not live long without him…" Lee murmured, nodding vaguely and frowning. His brows rose as something clicked. "Is that why you are here, Mr. Jacobson? Because Kei did not have many other relatives? I know that our family is rather limited…"

"Yes, I am glad you realized that on your own. In fact however, your family is much less than 'limited'. You are Kei's _only_adult, living relative at the moment. I am here to discuss something important that you have inherited from your cousin." The lawyer set the papers down in front of him as his voice grew even more somber. He laced his fingers together and leaned forward in his seat.

Naruto felt as though he was going to burst. Why did this guy have to draw everything out? Why couldn't he just get to it? If he was personally visiting them at home, at such a late hour, it was obviously something big. His mind wandered for a few moments, trying to think of what it could possibly be that Lee was inheriting. Maybe it was just property or something?

The blond shifted awkwardly and glanced at Lee, seeing that he was a little anxious as well. He couldn't blame him.

"What is it...?" he finally asked, his eyes flicking back to the man.

Just then there was another knock on the door. Lee's eyes were still fixed on the lawyer, but Mr. Jacobson simply gestured to the door. Lee huffed and walked across the room to the door, and his eyebrows rose at what he found on the other side.

Standing on his doorstep was a young woman in a professional blouse and skirt. Her hair was tied back in a sharp bun and she wore thin rimmed glasses. There was a baby tucked awkwardly against her shoulder with one arm, and her free hand was clasped with a little girl's.

The girl had long, dark hair, and couldn't have been older than three years at the most. Her eyes were large, dark, and very pretty, but also drooping with sleepiness. She rubbed at her eye and sniffled unhappily. When she looked up at Lee, her little brows rose and she fluttered her long lashes.

"Daddy…?"

Lee was standing in the doorway, blocking the view but Naruto didn't need to see to know what – or who – was standing on the other side. The small voice reached him and he felt his throat clamp tightly, his eyes widening in shock. He was rooted to the spot and he felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. He couldn't breathe, no matter how hard he tried to pull air in, and the room began to spin.

Lee had inherited a child? He was... supposed to be a father? They had never talked about kids and to be honest, he didn't really want them. And now... he was supposed to be a daddy?

Lee shifted and he spotted the baby curled up in the woman's arms, fast asleep. There were... two children...?

"Oh, god..." he mumbled, his eyes rolling back in his head. He hit the floor with a loud thump, passing out cold.

"Naruto?" Lee swung around and rushed to his husband's side. He looked up at Mr. Jacobson with panicked confusion as he cradled Naruto's limp head and felt for a pulse. "What just happened?"

"I believe that he fainted." The lawyer stated casually. He laid his papers on the coffee table and clasped his briefcase closed again. "I've seen it happen before. Don't bother calling an ambulance unless he hasn't regained consciousness in five minutes."

Behind Lee the woman had let herself into the house and closed the door behind her. She led the little girl over to the couch, and muttered something under her breath as the baby in her arms began to whine and cry unhappily, kicking his little limbs and squirming.

"Here, take this." She let go of the little girl's hand and instead held the baby out at arm's length for Lee to take. The baby was still squirming and emitting high pitched wails of distress.

Lee took him into his arms instinctively, not wanting the poor thing to have to writhe and cry in the air like that. The woman was so cold! Lee tucked the little boy against his shoulder and began murmuring meaningless hush noises, bouncing slightly and supporting him under his legs and behind his back properly. The baby continued to cry for a moment, before cutting off with a loud hiccup and falling silent.

"I-I inherited _children_?" Lee's eyes were wide and shocked as he looked quickly back and forth between Mr. Jacobson and what appeared to be his assistant. He kept his voice low for the baby's sake, even if he really wanted to shout with the shock of it all.

"D-Daddy…?" The little girl was standing next to the couch now, staring at Lee with watery eyes. Her bottom lip protruded and her face was turning pink. She looked like she was going to start sobbing at any moment. It was just now that Lee realized that while he hadn't seen his cousin in years, that didn't change the fact he still looked quite similar to him. He probably looked just like these kids' real father.

"Yes. As Kei's only living adult relative, you are entitled to the children." Standing, the lawyer brushed off his suit and smoothed his tie down. He glanced at the blond still sprawled out on the floor and then at Lee who was cradling the baby and coo-ing at him. "It is completely up to you. If you want them, they are yours. It will take some time, but you can eventually adopt them. If you decide not to keep them, they will have to be put into foster care."

He looked expectantly at Lee, obviously itching to leave. "We will leave them with you tonight. If there's a problem or you decide not to take them in, give me a call." Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a business card and handed it over to Lee. Grasping his briefcase, he made his way to the door with his assistant following at his heels.

"Good luck, Mr. Rock." Without another word, the two of them disappeared.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later, Lee was stepping out of his bedroom and closing the door silently behind him. His niece and nephew- named Izumi and Takeshi- were both passed out in the bed he shared with Naruto. It had taken a long time to get either of them to stop clinging to him, and it had been <em>heartbreaking<em>to explain to Izumi that he was not her father, but they'd finally worn themselves out and fallen asleep.

Lee walked softly through the house until he was with Naruto in the living room again, and winced when he saw the look on his husband's face.

Naruto was slumped on the couch, holding an ice pack against his throbbing head. There was a nice sized bump forming on the back of it where he'd struck the floor and it was doing nothing to help his mood. He had woken up not long ago on the couch and had gone in search of Lee, finding him in their room trying to get the kid's to sleep. He hadn't wanted to interrupt, so he'd sourly slunk back into the living room since he'd apparently lost his bed for the night.

A scowl marred the blonds' face and his eyes had darkened. As soon as Lee stepped into the room, they snapped upwards and he sighed wearily.

"We can't keep them, Lee."

Lee's face fell and he looked away, fidgeting where he stood as he thought about what he should say to that. Lee had thought about adopting children one day, but the subject had never really been discussed between him and Naruto. He vaguely remembered bringing it up once in passing, but the blond had shrugged it off and said something about how awkward he was with kids.

"They are my cousin's children, Naruto… they are family." Lee walked around the coffee table and sat down next to his husband on the couch. He looked down at his hands with furrowed brows. "I- we just… cannot give them away."

"But we can't... I can't..." Naruto sighed and leaned back against the couch, rubbing his aching eyes with his fists. He pressed his palms against them and let out an irritated groan. He was tired and it was way too much to take in one night. An hour ago, they'd been getting frisky on the couch with no cares in the world except each other, and now Lee wanted him to be a father to two kids?

"I know they're your family but... we've never even talked about... about..." He couldn't even bring himself to say it. "I'm not ready for this. _We're_not ready for this. We haven't even been married a year yet, Lee!"

"I know, I know, you have a point…" Lee rubbed his face and grimaced. This was so complicated. But were they really supposed to just… send Izumi and Takeshi to foster care? Keeping them wasn't even an option? "I know that we have not discussed this before, but Naruto… do you ever want to raise children with me?"

Lee looked up from his hands apprehensively. He'd assumed that it was a possibility _someday_, but if this was Naruto's first reaction… maybe that wasn't so after all.

Naruto's hands slowly lowered and he turned his head so that his gaze met Lee's. His eyes searched the dark ones and he chewed his lip nervously for a moment as he pondered the question. His mind was befuddled though and he had no idea what to say. He just didn't want to hurt his husband.

"I don't know, Lee. It's not that I don't like kids, really, it's just... I'm not comfortable around them. They make me edgy and awkward and... I just don't know."

Naruto's voice lowered until it was barely audible and he looked away, staring down at the floor as though it held all the answers he was looking for. "I don't think I'm meant to be a father..."

Lee's throat suddenly felt thicker and his heart felt heavier. He recognized the look on Naruto's face, and the tone of his voice.

"Maybe you just need some time? Not everyone believes that they are cut out to be parents in the beginning, but that changes later. I know this is really sudden, but…" Lee's eyes drifted back toward the hall, knowing that the kids were tucked under the covers of their bed. Little Izumi had been crying for over a half hour before she'd finally exhausted herself and fallen into an uneasy asleep. Her little brother had whined and whimpered in response to his sister's distress, and squirmed unhappily no matter how Lee held him.

"Their parents just died, Naruto. They have nowhere else to go."

"But... I..." Naruto's voice died out and he looked to Lee again. His eyes were sad and far-away, and his mouth hung open but his words were lost. He knew how it felt to lose parents. His own had died and he'd been so young, but he could remember how lost and hopeless he'd felt. His entire world had been torn apart in the blink of an eye and he'd been seriously depressed for a long time. He'd acted out because of it and had been transferred from home to home, but... None of them had been a true home. He knew exactly how those children felt and he knew how horrible it was.

"Lee... I don't know anything about kids. I don't know the first thing about taking care of them... I can't..."

"You will not have to." Lee leaned forward and took one of Naruto's hands earnestly. "I will take care of everything. You can help when you feel like you can handle it, but I will take care of them. I will do all the diapers, and just… everything."

Lee's eyes turned pleading, but he still recognized the resistance in Naruto's expression. The blond really could be stubborn sometimes, and Lee didn't want him to feel like he needed to give an outright 'no'.

"How about… we look for a place for them?" Lee squeezed Naruto's hand as he spoke. "Somewhere they can live permanently instead of being moved around. Our wedding anniversary is in a month, right? We will try to find a place for them before then. I do not want to force you into anything you are not ready for, and I know that this would be… big."

Naruto shook his head but he didn't remove his hand from Lee's. The little touch was comforting, but what was proposed only made him feel worse. Guilt churned in his stomach and he instinctively scooted closer.

"I can't let you do everything yourself... We're a team, right?" His lips twitched upwards but he was sulking. He never could deny Lee. It was impossible. "I guess we could do that... But, God, I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. _Me_a... temporary dad? This is going to be complete and utter chaos."

"Try just thinking of yourself as the babysitter for now, if that makes this any easier." Lee leaned in and kissed Naruto's cheek with gentle appreciation. He knew how hard it was for Naruto to agree to something like this, even if it was for just a few weeks. "I still promise to take care of all the diapers. If you feel like you cannot handle something, just tell me and I will take it off your hands."

Before actually driving away, Steve Jacobson and his assistant had carried a few boxes into the house. They were full of each of the children's clothes and toys- what had survived the fire, at least- and supplies for taking care of little Takeshi. Lee didn't know how many diapers he was going to need, but it was probably more than what he'd been left with.

"Thank you, Naruto. This really means a lot to me." Lee squeezed Naruto's hand again, and was about to go in for a much more proper kiss when he heard a noise from down the hall. Takeshi had woken up, and was now whining and squalling. His voice was pitiful and absolutely miserable as he cried for his mother. Lee winced and gave Naruto an apprehensive look as he leaned back. He needed to take care of that.

Naruto barely stifled a wince at the high pitched wailing. It grated on his ears and he had the urge to clap his hands over them just to get some relief. How did people listen to that all the time?

Panic clawed at him and his wide eyes sought Lee's, hoping desperately he wasn't expected to go. "Uh... It's fine... You can... go get that..."

Lee smiled weakly and nodded. He patted Naruto's hand and stood with a small stretch. "You can lie down if you are tired. I know it is late. I will try to put him back to sleep so that the crying does not bother you." Lee kissed Naruto's hair as he passed by, and quickened his steps to the bedroom.

Takeshi's little fists were clenched and his face was red as he bawled. Izumi grumbled in her sleep and rubbed at her eye, but miraculously didn't start crying as well. Lee gently leaned over the little girl to scoop up her brother. He tucked the baby against his shoulder and rubbed it's back, murmuring soothing and pointless cooing sounds as he gently rocked his body on his heels.

"Sh, sh, it is okay, everything is okay…" he murmured gently. He petted Takeshi's little dark tufts of hair on his head, and wiped away the fat tears that rolled down his chubby little cheeks. Takeshi's miserable eyes looked up into Lee's, and the man couldn't help the affection that coursed through his body at that look. Takeshi had inherited the family eyebrows, so his puckered brows were impressive even for a baby. His expression was one of someone who was completely unhappy with their lot in life, and wanted everyone to know about it. He hiccupped and his whining quieted a bit, but didn't stop altogether.

"It is alright, little guy. Naruto and I are going to take care of you, alright?" Lee's eyes softened even more as Takeshi's eyes drooped and his crying was cut off by a sleepy yawn.

Naruto chewed his lip and stared down the hallway towards the bedroom where he could only just hear Lee's soft voice. He hesitated for a moment longer before standing and padding quietly towards the room. He stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, crossing his arms.

He swore his heart melted as he watched his husband cradle the tiny body and speak softly to him. He had never seen Lee with a baby before and it was... breathtaking. The way his eyes lit up as he looked down at the poor little thing...

Pushing off the frame, Naruto hesitantly moved towards them. He stopped just behind Lee and peeked over his shoulder, his breath catching in his throat. "He looks... just like you..." he whispered, awe evident in his voice.

Lee smiled and turned his body so that Naruto could see the baby more clearly. "No, no, he looks just like Kei. The eyebrows are a family trait, though the poor girls in our family history who inherited them always waxed them off." Lee's eyes turned to the sleeping Izumi's whose pretty face had relaxed when her brother had quieted somewhat. She hadn't gotten the brows luckily. She had the long family eyelashes, but probably looked most like her mother.

"He is much calmer now. Do you want to try holding him?" Takeshi was still squirming a little and making small, upset noises, but he was visibly drooping as sleep threatened to take him again. He was probably too tired to put up a fuss about who was holding him.

"Hold him...?" Naruto's frame tensed and he stared down at the little boy, his stomach churning with nerves. He looked so small and fragile, especially held by someone as big as Lee. He could foresee many disasters that could come to be if he tried it, but... He kind of wanted to.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. What if... What if I drop him or something...?" The blonds' shoulders slumped and he sighed quietly.

"You will not drop him. Do not worry, I will be right here." Lee turned and lifted Takeshi from his arms and held him out carefully for Naruto. The baby fidgeted in the air and looked at Naruto with droopy eyes as he sniffled. "Hold him upright with his front tucked against your shoulder. Hold him steady behind his back and head with one hand and slide your other forearm under his bottom so that he has something to rest on. Lean back a little so that it is like he is laying on you."

Lee smiled encouragingly at his husband as he spoke. He knew that Naruto wasn't used to handling children, but it was something that he knew could be taught.

Naruto swallowed heavily and haltingly reached forward for Takeshi. His brows furrowed in concentration as he took the baby from Lee and did as instructed. It felt awkward but he tucked the little body against him and supported him. He leaned back slightly but his body was still tense with anxiety.

The blond looked down as the face gently nuzzled into him and felt a tiny fist grab onto his shirt. His heart was beating so fast that he thought it might fly right out of him but it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. He felt odd and he was deathly afraid of hurting him but when he looked up at Lee and the soft smile there, it made him feel much better.

"See? It is not so bad…" Lee's hand covered Naruto's over the baby's back and his smile widened. He recognized the panicky quality to Naruto's expression, but he seemed like he was handling this very well. Takeshi whined and squirmed once, and began to hiccup against Naruto's shoulder. His little face scrunched up unhappily, and Lee chuckled and began to pat his back.

There was a pause between hiccups and a wet coughing sound, and Lee's eyes widened as he watched Takeshi throw up all over Naruto's pajama shirt. Whoops.

Naruto's lips twitched into a small smile and he sighed again. Maybe it wouldn't be [i]_so[/i]_bad if they ended up keeping the kids for a little bit. Lee seemed to know what he was doing and everything was going okay so far. He was holding a baby! An actual baby! It almost made him feel like... an adult...

"No," he agreed quietly. "It's not _that_ ba-" He completely froze as he heard the gurgling sound and felt his heart leap into his throat. The wetness soaked into his shirt, and then _through_his shirt, and he gagged as the smell hit him. His face scrunched up, much like the baby's had, and he felt the wonderful meal he'd eaten earlier begin its journey upwards.

"Lee..." Naruto said through clenched teeth. "Please take him. Now."

"R-right." Lee mumbled. His face was beet red at the look on Naruto's face, realizing that his husband was seriously grossed out now. He probably would never trust a baby not to throw up on him again. Lee lifted Takeshi out of Naruto's arms and tucked him close to his body again. The little brat had fallen asleep again, with a small smear of puke and drool around his mouth. Lee sighed heavily and grabbed a couple tissues off his nightstand to wipe the baby's mouth with.

"Um, if you put that on the washer I will take care of it for you." Lee suggested sheepishly as his eyes turned to Naruto's ruined pajama shirt. "Sorry. Um… sometimes babies puke, you know? It happens. They cannot control it."

"I know they can't but it's still gross!" Naruto hissed, even though he wanted to yell. He wasn't going to wake the kids up, though. Then he would have to deal with puke _and_ crying. He took a deep breath – through his mouth, otherwise the smell would make _him_throw up – and offered Lee a weak smile.

"I'm going to take a shower I guess..." Leaving the two behind, he padded into the washroom and stripped quickly from his clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. Turning on the water, he waited for it to heat before climbing inside and leaning heavily against the wall.

This was turning out to be the longest night of his life...

* * *

><p>It was eight o'clock in the morning, and Lee was finally asleep. He and Naruto had been forced to unfold the pull out couch to sleep on together, and Lee had been rushing back and forth between their new bed and their old one as the kids continued to wake up crying or whining at odd intervals in the night. Takeshi had needed a diaper change <em>twice<em>, and Lee had been forced to learn how to make formula at four in the morning. When he finally managed to put together a half decent bottle, the baby hadn't even been hungry.

But that didn't matter now. They'd all finally fallen asleep for good almost three hours ago, and Lee had collapsed graciously into the bed next to Naruto. His limbs were splayed across the mattress and he was snoring with his exhaustion.

A pair of large, dark eyes peeked over the side of the bed as Izumi sidled sleepily to their side. She was on Naruto's side of the bed, staring at the tufts of blond hair that were sticking out from under the covers. She stared in silence for a few moments, looking around and pacing beside the bed with teary eyes as she tried looking for a familiar face and found none. She finally pushed on Naruto's shoulder through the covers, sniffling and squirming in place.

"I gotta go potty." She whispered loudly.

Naruto groaned and shifted in bed as his dreams wavered and began to slowly dissipate. Something tugged at his consciousness and he rolled over so he was facing away from Lee. His arm flopped out from beneath the covers and his brow wrinkled as he struggled to stay asleep.

However, something was determined to wake him up. Something poked and prodded at his arm and he groaned again. "Not now, Lee..." he muttered, pulling the blankets up over his head. The small voice spoke again, and his eyes flew open as he heard the plea. He peeked out and found himself face to face with the biggest and prettiest dark eyes he had ever seen.

"You have to go potty..." Naruto repeated in a whisper, running his fingers through his mussed hair as he sat up. He glanced at Lee and saw how utterly exhausted he looked. He didn't want to wake him up.

"Um... right... bathroom..." Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he stood and shuffled awkwardly, taking a few steps backwards towards the hallway. "Uh... it's this way..."

Izumi's eyes widened as she saw the marks on Naruto's cheeks. They reminded her of a cat, which was her favorite animal. She reached out and gripped one of Naruto's hands in both of hers and blinked up at him as she squirmed.

"Thank you." She said politely. Behind Naruto, Lee snored loudly and mumbled something in his sleep. Izumi looked over at him and her brow furrowed as she thought of something. "Are you brothers?"

Naruto paused mid-step and his head snapped down to see his hand taken hostage by two smaller ones. It felt odd; the ones nestled in his own was so warm and so little. But Izumi didn't even know him so why would she hold his hand? Is that what kids did? Latch on to people they didn't know...? Somehow that didn't make much sense to him.

"Uh, no... We're not... We're not brother's..." the blond mumbled nervously. He glanced at Lee longingly one more time before continuing down the hall. He had no idea what to say, but maybe he could just distract her...

Pushing open the bathroom door, they stepped inside and he flicked the light on. He then realized he didn't even know how a little girl went to the washroom and he shifted awkwardly, his face flushing. "How...? What...? I mean... Can you go yourself?"

"But I can't reach." Izumi rushed quickly toward the toilet and squirmed in front of it with growing need. The look on her face was getting desperate. "You gotta lift me up!"

By the time they made it out of the washroom, Naruto was exhausted again. It had been a close call but he'd thankfully gotten her settled before there was an accident. He'd thought the vomit was bad... If he ended up getting pissed on... No, he didn't even want to go there.

But now what to do with her?

"Uh... I'm going back to sleep..." He gestured towards their bedroom, where she'd spent the night. "Maybe you should get some more sleep, too..."

Naruto felt like a complete idiot. Sliding his fingers into his hair, he clutched the strands tightly and grumbled under his breath as he made his way back into the living room. Sliding back into bed beside Lee, he flung an arm over his eyes and let out a long breath.

Izumi turned and looked back into the bedroom as Naruto went back to his bed in the living room. She didn't want to sleep anymore, and it was lonely in that big bed with only her tiny brother. She silently followed after Naruto and watched him crawl back under the covers. She bit her lip and looked around, and then finally sidled back up beside the mattress. There was plenty of room in the bed between Lee and Naruto, but she didn't think she could crawl over either of them to get to that spot. She sniffled to herself and wiped at an eye. Maybe she was still a little tired.

She finally decided that she could squeeze in beside the yellow haired man who had showed her the bathroom. She lifted up the covers and struggled for a moment to crawl onto the mattress. There wasn't much room, so she had to snuggle close to his side. It was really warm and made her sigh quietly as she relaxed. Izumi didn't close her eyes, but just looked at the blond with some curiosity.

Naruto's body tensed as he felt the mattress beside him shift and he peeked out from under his arm to see a head full of long black hair. His echoing sigh was quiet and he shifted onto his side to give her more room, careful not to jostle her around too much so she wouldn't fall off. His eyes were still closed but he could feel the dark gaze on him and it was a struggle not to look. He squirmed slightly but there was no way he would get back to sleep at that rate.

"What's up?" Naruto asked quietly, looking down at his new companion. "Do you... need something else?"

Izumi stared for a bit longer and then shook her head in silence. Her eyes were wide and observant as she returned Naruto's gaze for a bit longer. Finally she took one of his arms in her hands and pulled it away from his body. She sat up and tugged on his arm until it was where she wanted it, and then laid back down. She rested her head on his bicep and cuddled closer. She reached out with one of her hands to clutch at his pajama shirt- as if making sure that he couldn't move away- and then relaxed again. Her eyes were half closed now, but she continued to stare up at him.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as the little girl got comfortable on him and couldn't help it as a small smile tugged at his lips. His arm settled around Izumi and he slowly relaxed as well. It was kind of odd. He was used to being the cuddly one, always snuggling up with Lee, but this felt surprisingly nice.

"You don't talk much, do ya?" Before he'd realized what he was doing, he'd reached out to gently smooth down her mussed hair.

"Mommy told me to be quiet when grown-ups are sleeping." She said wisely. Izumi blinked widely when Naruto petted her, and seemed to relax. She let go of his shirt and reached up to touch his hair. She thought it looked soft. She trailed her little fingers down and poked at the whisker marks on Naruto's cheek, and blinked in disappointment when she found that they weren't real whiskers. "When is Lee gonna get up?"

Naruto glanced over but Lee was still dead to the world. His breathing was slow and even, and his body relaxed. He'd woken up a few times during the night when the baby began to cry and had felt terribly guilty that his husband had been forced to get up each time. He had to wonder if it was like that every night. If so, he might have to learn just so he could give the poor man a break...

"I don't know," the blond shrugged, a wide yawn shaking his body. "He looks pretty tired. We should probably let him sleep a bit longer..."

"I'm hungry." Izumi pouted unhappily. It was always so _boring_when grown-ups were asleep.

In the bedroom down the hall an upset whining could be heard, followed by a familiar blubbering and crying sound. Lee started lightly and his snores cut off with a small gasp and he blinked his eyes open. He put a hand out and started to sit up.

"It is okay Naruto, I have it. Stay asleep…" Lee mumbled in an incoherent, sleep drugged voice. It was clear in the clumsy, lurching way his limbs moved that he was still mostly asleep. His eyes weren't even open yet as he sat up.

"Keshi woke up." Izumi stated belatedly. Her hand went back to Naruto's shirt, hoping her new bed buddy wasn't going to turn his attention toward the baby instead of her.

Naruto felt bad for Lee but he couldn't help snickering. The man was a zombie! He would definitely have to take over some of it, even if it made him uncomfortable. Besides, Lee would have to work and he would have no choice but to take care of them on his own.

That was a frightening thought.

The blond was distracted by the small hand grabbing at him and it was obvious Izumi didn't want him to leave. "I guess I could feed you, then..." But, what did she eat? He sat up as well and scooted to the edge of the bed, which was awkward with the girl still holding onto him.

"Well, we better go look..." Standing, he stretched out and sighed contentedly as he worked out his stiff muscles. His hair was mussed, much more than usual, and his clothes were dishevelled but he looked more alert than Lee, at least.

"Come on, ya little thing," he said as he padded towards the kitchen.

Izumi looked back in time to see her cousin stumbling out of bed with droopy eyelids as he responded to the baby's voice. She followed quickly after Naruto toward the kitchen, and nearly stumbled over the edge of her pajama pants. She hurried forward to take his hand again, and looked up at him as they turned a corner.

"I want pancakes." She told him. Down the hall the baby's crying paused for a few seconds before intensifying loudly. It sounded like just holding him wasn't going to be enough for Lee to calm him down this time.

"Pancakes...?" Naruto didn't know how to make pancakes. No, that wasn't true. He knew _how_to make them, but making them edible... that was where he failed. No matter how hard he tried, how intently he watched the stupid things, they always burned. "Sorry, I can't cook pancakes..."

The blond winced as the wailing grew louder and quickly ducked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge, and then freezer, but they were seriously low on groceries. Frowning, he rooted through the cabinets but came up empty-handed until he opened the last one. His favourite one. His eyes widened and he pulled a cup of ramen down, turning to Izumi with a grin.

"What about ramen? That's the best breakfast there is!"

Izumi squinted at the cup in Naruto's hand for a moment, but she had never had ramen before. She recognized the picture on the front however and shook her head stubbornly.

"Uh-uh. I don't like noodles." She said.

"You... You _what?" _Naruto squealed incredulously, suddenly feeling very faint. He slumped against the counter, feeling as though he might actually pass out again. "Are you _crazy_? Everyone likes noodles!" Pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers, his eyes scrunched closed and he took a deep breath. "Okay... Okay... It's okay...

Realizing his outburst might have frightened the little girl, he looked down at her and his face set in determination. He couldn't let the poor thing go through life without knowing the awesomeness of ramen!

"Ramen is _not_just noodles!" Despite her initial protests, he opened the lid and began preparing it. "After you eat this, you won't wanna eat anything else ever again! Pancakes..." He shook his head bemusedly as he poured the hot water into the cup to let the noodles cook.

Izumi's bottom lip stuck out in an unhappy pout, but she didn't say anything. She hesitated, and then walked across the kitchen to sit at the small table. She laid her head on the counter top and crossed her arms. Her tummy rumbled.

Lee stepped into the kitchen with the baby in his arms. Takeshi was still crying pitifully, but now it just sounded grumpy instead of hysterical. Fat tears rolled down his red cheeks, and he buried his face in Lee's shoulder.

"Morning, Naruto." Lee greeted. He paused for a yawn as he moved toward the fridge. "I really am sorry about the noise; I will try to make him calm down. I just changed his diaper, and I think he is finally hungry."

Lee glanced up at the counter top and smiled affectionately as he recognized Naruto's favorite breakfast. "Getting something to eat?"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he turned to Lee and leaned his hip against the counter. "You don't have to apologize every time he cries, you know." He moved back to the cupboard and took out another cup for himself. He hadn't even thought about his own breakfast; he'd been too busy worrying about Izumi's. Steam rose from the cup that was cooking and he breathed in the smell of his favourite food greedily.

"She's never had ramen before. Can you _believe_that?" Naruto shook his head again, still unable to believe it himself. He poured water into his own and took out a pair of chopsticks to test if the first was done. He realized she probably wouldn't know how to use them - which he would have to fix - and took out a fork. Wait, could she feed herself?

"Are you hungry? I can make you one, too."

"Thank you, I would love some ramen." Lee pulled the bottle of baby formula he had made out of the fridge, along with a jar of what looked like green mush and set them both on the counter. He leaned in and gave Naruto a good morning kiss on the cheek. There were dark bags under Lee's eyes, but he still made himself smile like usual.

Takeshi sniffled and looked at Naruto with grumpy, teary eyes and rubbed his little fist against his cheek.

"Thank you for getting Izumi's breakfast together. I am sorry that you woke up early, even though you do not work on Thursdays. Is it true that you have never had ramen, Izumi?"

The little girl looked up at him from the table with cautious eyes, like she wasn't sure how to respond. She bit her lip and her eyes welled up, but she didn't look like she was going to start crying yet. Lee's face fell when he realized that it would take the girl a while to warm up to him. It was obviously upsetting her that he looked like her father, but was actually a complete stranger.

"No biggie," Naruto shrugged, using the pair of chopsticks from earlier to swirl the cooked noodles in both cups around. "You look exhausted though... You'll have to take a nap later..." He smirked as he took out a third one for Lee and poured water in it. Carrying the ready ones over to the table, he flopped into the chair beside Izumi and pulled his legs up under him so he was sitting cross-legged.

"Here, try this. You'll love it!" He set the food before her along with a fork and picked up his own chopsticks, only to set them down again. "Oh... wait. It's kinda hot..." Reaching over, he dipped the fork into the cup and swirled some noodles onto it. Without thinking, he lifted it from the broth and blew on it so it would cool down some, and then held it out to her.

Izumi was still pouting about the lack of pancakes, but she seemed too hungry to refuse the ramen altogether. She leaned forward and tried to fit her mouth around the noodles that had wound around the fork, but could only bite half the forkful. She slurped loudly and sat back in her chair to chew. There was a small pause and then her eyes widened as she swallowed.

"I like them." She stated seriously.

Lee chuckled to himself from across the kitchen as he got out a spoon for the green mush.

"Yes!" Naruto grinned, pumping his fist in victory. "I have converted another!" Pleased with himself, he handed the fork over to Izumi so he could work on his own food. Picking up his chopsticks, he skilfully plucked a wad of noodles from the broth and slurped them cheerfully.

"Don't worry. We won't ever run out of ramen." He reached over and petted Izumi's head happily, the grin on his face reaching a ridiculous size. "You can have that whenever you want!"

Izumi scooped clumsily at her noodles with the fork, and her little brow was furrowed in concentration. The utensil was too big for her, so it was hard to use in her little hands. She couldn't get as much on the fork as Naruto had and was spilling little splashes of broth on the table.

Lee stepped up with a napkin in one hand and dabbed at the mess.

"It is okay if you make a mess, but try not to burn yourself." He warned gently. He sat down next to Naruto at the table with Takeshi on his lap. He'd already set his baby feeding supplies down on the table. He scooped up some mush from a jar labeled _Gerber Peas_and brought it up to the baby's mouth. Lee yawned so widely that his jaw popped and his eyes watered, and Takeshi blurbled grouchily at him for missing his mouth.

Naruto watched bemusedly as Izumi tried her hardest to eat, her little brows drawn together in concentration. He was able to refrain from chuckling, but his bright eyes practically sparkled as he gazed at her. It was just so cute, how hard she was trying!

Shifting to Lee, the blonds' eyes widened as he eyed the green goop that was being fed to the baby. He almost choked on his ramen and jumped from his seat to grab a glass of water. His eyes brimmed as he gulped it down and a few beads dripped down his chin.

"What are you _feeding_ him, Lee? That's not... that's not _food_!" He pointed accusingly at the small jar. He'd never seen anything so... so green. "That's toxic looking!"

Lee blinked, feeling left behind in Naruto's dramatic reaction. He stared at his husband's protruding finger blankly and then looked down at the spoon in his hands.

"It is baby food, Naruto. Takeshi does not have teeth yet, so he cannot chew. This is just peas ground up into mush so that he can eat it." Lee's mouth quirked up in a smile and he rolled his eyes. "Calm down, I would never feed anything toxic to an infant."

"I thought it was gross, too, but mommy says I ate it when _I_was a baby." The girl wrinkled her nose, obviously displeased with the thought.

"Well, nobody should have to eat something that looks like _that_," Naruto scoffed, his face scrunching up as he watched a clump of the green gunk slid down the little jar. He grimaced and returned to his seat, purposely angling his body away so he wouldn't have to watch while he finished his own breakfast. He couldn't help shooting an concerned glance at the little boy in Lee's arms, though, whose mouth was surrounded by green scum.

Poor thing. He would have to teach both these kids how to live properly. He would take them under his wing and mould them into ramen-eating-gaming-machines in no time. Except... he wouldn't be able to, because they were going to be leaving soon...

"I have to go to work at the gym today." Lee stated thoughtfully as he scooped up the last of the baby food a while later.

It looked like most of it had been spit up onto Takeshi's little pajamas instead of being swallowed. Lee wondered to himself if it was normal for kids to be this messy, or if they were  
><em>supposed<em>to just eat it without so much fuss.

"I know Gai would understand about the suddenness of the kids, but I cannot make him run the whole place short staffed without notice. I… think I can bring Takeshi with me today. Maybe. There was a baby carrier in the boxes that Mr. Jacobson left, so it would not be [i]_too[/i]_difficult…"

Lee wasn't quite sure. He put up a brave front in front of his husband, but to be honest he wasn't sure about what to do with a baby once it was changed and fed. Could he hold it around in the backpack-carrier-thing while he worked? Or would that just make him start crying again? And that didn't even answer the question of what to do with Izumi.

Naruto sighed as he studied Lee and recognized the anxiety in his dark eyes. He couldn't blame him. Although, so far, he thought his husband had been doing an amazing job. He knew so much! Sure, he was inexperienced as well, but at least he knew the basics. Just the thought of being left alone all day with the baby – and the feeding, the burping, the _diapers_– was enough to give him a small heart attack.

"Well, I- uh..." The blond scrubbed at his stubbly jaw and his brows furrowed. "I'm sure I can manage with Izumi, but I don't... I mean... You shouldn't have to work and worry about the baby at the same time. That's not really fair..."

Lee began gently bouncing Takeshi on his knee as he thought. That seemed to finally cheer the baby up, and make him wave his arms around with a small smile as he blurbled more nonsense. He was smearing green spit all over the edge of the table and across his face.

"I cannot leave them with you for the whole day by yourself." Lee murmured, more to himself than Naruto. The blond seemed capable enough when it came to at least feeding Izumi, but for the whole day? And Naruto had no idea how to handle a baby. Lee blinked and looked up as an idea struck him.

"Why do we not both go to the gym today? You can watch the kids in one of the spare rooms or in my office while I work, and then Gai and I can help when we are not busy. I am sure that he would not mind, especially since this came as such a sudden surprise. And besides, Gai loves kids. He practically raised me!" Lee's mouth slowly began to split into a grin as the idea gave him some confidence. They could do this! This way they could still be together on their first day with the kids, even if Naruto would be the one to keep an eye on them most of the time. "What do you think? Would you mind coming to work with me today?"

"That's an awesome idea," Naruto agreed whole-heartedly, feeling the tension drain from his body. He knew he could handle it if Lee would be close, so he could get help if he needed it. It would still be hard, no doubt, and being cooped up in the _gym_with two little kids wasn't exactly his idea of a relaxing day off, but it was better than being on his own.

Grabbing his empty cup, and seeing that Izumi was finished hers, he slipped from his seat and chucked them in the garbage. "I guess we better get ready then..." He looked uncertainly to Lee and ran his fingers through his hair. "Should I, uh... get her dressed then?"

"That is a good idea." Lee shifted Takeshi into his arms properly again and moved to the sink. He grabbed a paper towel and soaked it in warm water to clean the baby's face with. "You saw where the boxes filled with her clothes are, right? If you need any help, call for me! Thank you, Naruto."

Izumi stood from the table and stepped up to take Naruto's hand again. She wrapped her little fingers around his pinky and thumb, and looked up at him with her full, dark eyes. "Are we gonna go somewhere?"

"I think I can manage to dress a kid by myself," Naruto grumbled under his breath as he led Izumi down the hallway. Geez, did Lee think he was totally helpless? He supposed he couldn't blame him; yesterday he hadn't wanted anything to do with kids.

"Yeah, we're gonna go to where Lee and I work. It's a gym." He led her into the bedroom where the boxes had been stashed the night before. "Errr... you know, a place where you exercise and stuff..."

The first box had already been opened and he glanced inside, noting that it was the baby's stuff. He moved that out of the way and went to the second, pulling back the cardboard flaps. He hummed as he began to root through it, finding a whole pile of clothes stacked in the bottom. He pulled a few articles out and his eyes lit up at what he found, a wicked grin lighting his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Over all the years that Lee had been privilege to the wonder of Gai's mentorship his father figure had always had something to say. He seemed like a fountain of constant, Youthful Knowledge that could inspire Lee to reach new heights, face his rivals, set new goals, and always rely on Hard Work and Determination. Gai spoke to him about how to shape the future, what to treasure in the present, and how the past affects tomorrow. Gai's booming, exuberant voice was a key that unlocked new possibilities and raised emotions that none other could incite!

Until this day, Lee had never, ever seen his mentor speechless.

"Um, good morning, Gai." Lee propped Takeshi higher in his arms, though the baby continued to wiggle and squeal, obviously wanting to be put down. "I would like to introduce you to two new members of our family. This is Takeshi, who is eleven months old. This is Izumi, who is three years old."

"And a half." She piped up from her place beside Naruto. She clung to the blonde's hand as she looked up at Gai with wide eyes. He was similar to Lee and her father, but also completely different. He looked like a giant to her.

"Yes, she is three and a half." Lee finished. He boosted the baby up again, and his brow twisted with concern when Gai still didn't say anything. When he and Naruto had first walked into the gym toting the children Gai had gone wide eyed and stammered, pointing and waving his hands dramatically. Now he was simply boggling at them, looking back and forth between Takeshi and Lee's thick brows, and Izumi and Lee's dark eyes, which were all so similar.

"You- you've- I- but- children- babies- two-" He stammered.

Naruto outright laughed at the look on Gai's face, but quickly coughed in an attempt to hide it. It wasn't quite successful, but he didn't care all that much. He'd known Gai would have a reaction, but _this_was priceless.

"Geez, I wish I'd brought a camera with me..." He mused to himself, his voice displaying his disappointment.

Tugging Izumi with him, Naruto moved further inside and clapped the older man on the shoulder. A wild grin lit his face and his eyes were practically sparkling with glee. "I guess you're like, a grandpa now, eh?"

"G-Grandpa?" Gai looked like he was seriously going to have a heart attack. He leaned back against the front desk and put a hand down on a stack of papers to steady himself. He looked absolutely mortified. "How can I be a grandfather when I am still so Youthful?"

"You are still very Youthful, Gai!" Lee exclaimed quickly. His eyes shined with integrity as he shifted the squirming Takeshi to his other arm and approached his mentor. "These are my cousins, not my son and daughter! We are taking care of them, thanks to…" Lee glanced down at the wide eyed Izumi. He wasn't sure if bringing up her parents would make her cry again.

"… unfortunate circumstances." he continued. He put a hand on his mentor's shoulder and met his eyes with shining admiration. "You will always be Youthful, even if I _were_to miraculously bear children!"

"Thank you, Lee." Gai's eyes welled and shined with the power behind his pupil's words. "That means so much to me! Lee!"

"Gai!"

"Lee!"

"Gai!" Gai wrapped his arms around Lee's shoulders in a broad hug, and Lee turned his body so that he could return the affection as best he could with his free arm. Takeshi protested in loud half words, grouching at the adults for being weird. Izumi watched the exchanged with wide eyed silence and pulled subtly closer to Naruto.

Naruto snickered again and reached over to gently ruffle the girl's hair. He'd known exactly what would happen with his words but honestly, how could he resist? There was nobody more fun to tease than Gai.

His grin turned to something more wicked and since he was sure the two men wouldn't notice, much too busy with each other, he leaned closer to Izumi. "Don't worry about that," he whispered secretly. "He's just kidding. Call him Grandpa Gai, okay?"

Straightening again, he schooled his features and cleared his throat. "Lee, maybe we should get them settled now... I mean, if you're done with your youthful embrace and stuff."

"Of course, Naruto." Lee pulled back from the hug and wiped at the manly tears that had filled his eyes. "I am sorry Gai, but we must impose with the children today. They only just came to us last night, and we have not had time to find other arrangements for them since."

"Oh, I see." Gai put a hand on his chin and nodded wisely as he looked around the gym. They'd managed to expand _The Springtime of Fitness_from more than just a hole-in-the-wall place into a much more proper facility. There was more room and more equipment for use, as well as a sauna and better locker rooms. "Well, I think we will have to keep them in your office today, Lee. Will you be staying with them, Naru… to…"

Gai had finally looked down to see Izumi properly and noticed her outfit. She was dressed from head to toe in horrendously bright, tacky colors. She wore bright yellow puddle boots on her feet, green tights, a sparkling purple skirt, an orange shirt with a blue heart on it, a white jacket, and a big red clip-on bow in her hair. Lee's eyes curved into sheepish crescents as he boosted the baby yet again and shrugged.

"Naruto dressed Izumi this morning. She- uh- did not protest."

"Are you kidding me?" Naruto gaped, looking down at Izumi with wide eyes. He scoffed over-dramatically and waved his hand in a flamboyant gesture at her. "What's wrong with her clothes? _I_ think she looks awesome!" The blond took a deep breath in and shook his head. Like _they_ could talk anyway, with all their _green_.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be taking care of them today..." The same nervousness came back in full now that it was about to happen. Could he really handle the baby? He didn't know, but apparently he was about to find out.

Lee smiled encouragingly and nodded. "Naruto will watch the kids in my office for the day while I work. I will check in and help when I am not busy."

Before leaving the house, Lee had packed a backpack with whatever he thought Naruto might need. He wasn't sure if it was everything of course, but it would help. There was a small first aid kit, a couple stuffed animals that he'd pulled from the boxes, instant ramen cups, and a few other choice articles. Lee stepped up to his husband and held out the baby for him to hold.

"Be careful to hold him tight, because he is squirming a lot today. If you need me for _anything_, just call. Even if you just need me to change a diaper or help stop the crying!" When he was sure that Naruto had hold of Takeshi, Lee bent down and scooped up Izumi easily. She held onto Lee's shirt and didn't protest, but she gave him a wary look.

"I will help as well! I will stop in and lend a hand when I am not busy." Gai pitched in as Lee began toward the offices.

Naruto held the baby firmly against him, deathly afraid that he would drop him. Takeshi was fidgeting and he wanted to hurry up and get to the office so he could begin what was no doubt going to be a tiring – and terrifying –day. He desperately hoped that it would go smoothly.

"Will do." He waited for Lee to put Izumi down and of course, she hurried over to his side. He turned in the direction of the office and lifted his hand in a brief wave. "Wish me luck!"

As soon as he closed the door behind them, he froze, not knowing what to do first. He sat heavily in Lee's chair with Takeshi in his lap and sighed. He hadn't quite thought of how he was supposed to entertain them. No doubt they would get bored. Hell, he was going to, too.

"So, uh... I don't know what we're supposed to do... " He looked down at the desk and saw a clipboard and a few pens. Grabbing a blank piece of paper from the printer, he clipped it on and slid it across the surface for Izumi, grinning. "Hey, why don't you draw a picture of Grandpa Gai? I'm sure he'd love that."

"Mkay." She mumbled, accepting the pen and paper. The pen was large and awkward in her little hands, but drawing sounded like fun. Maybe not of Grandpa Gai, though. He was weird.

The office was a fairly decent ten by twenty room with a full desk. There were a couple bookshelves on the far side, and two chairs on the opposite side of the desk. The floor was carpeted in green and blue squares, and there was an inactive ceiling fan in the center of the room. A single window looked out onto the street, and a small patch of grass that lined the sidewalk. Izumi clutched her paper and pen and carried them to the far corner beside the bookshelf. She sat on the floor and leaned back against the wall with her writing utensils in her lap.

In Naruto's arms, Takeshi doubled his wiggling and began to whine unhappily. He pushed his little hands on Naruto's shoulder, clearly unhappy with behind held. He wanted down! His whines grew louder, threatening to become a fit of actual crying.

Naruto glanced down at the little boy as he began to whine and whimper, and frowned. He had no idea what Takeshi wanted... Was it because he was hungry? Or bored...? Or... Oh god, what if it was a diaper thing? He didn't smell anything funky, though...

"I don't know what you want..." he mumbled, wincing as the cries grew louder. The pushing continued, becoming more forceful, and he warily wondered how such a little thing could be so strong. And then it hit him and he felt utterly stupid.

"You want down, eh?" Naruto gently set the little boy on the floor, wondering whether it was even okay for him to wander around. It had to be okay if he kept an eye on him, right?

Takeshi immediately began crawling away from Naruto's chair across the carpet, determined to get wherever his baby heart desired. He reached one end of the desk and grabbed onto one of the wide metal drawer handles. With a serious expression set in his little brow, he pulled himself up until he was standing. He wiggled his little bottom and bounced around on his feet, experimenting with his new freedom.

Takeshi looked back at Naruto and flashed a bright and toothless grin, obviously proud of himself for whatever he thought he'd just accomplished. Izumi was oblivious to both boys in the room, completely absorbed in her artwork for the moment. Takeshi turned and looked around from his standing view point, and his hand on the drawer loosened. When he'd lost his grip completely, his hand slipped and he fell back onto his little butt with a small thump.

His eyes were wide as he looked around, obviously shocked by his tiny fall. His face began to subtly twist as he sniffled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"Oh, shi-" Naruto was off his chair in the blink of an eye and he crouched down beside Takeshi, panic written all over his face. He quickly checked over the baby but everything looked alright... As far as he could tell anyway.

"Hey, you're okay little guy..." He awkwardly petted the head of black hair. What the hell was he supposed to _do_? He gently rubbed at a tiny arm, feeling completely lost already. "Don't cry... Please don't cry..."

Takeshi blinked widely at Naruto, who had moved to his side from the chair quite suddenly. He looked up at him, already forgetting what he'd been upset over. He gripped his little fingers around the hand that was petting him and pulled it closer. He pulled one of Naruto's fingers up to his face and wrapped his mouth around a knuckle, drooling heavily.

Naruto grimaced and stifled the automatic urge to pull his finger away. Now that was just gross... He could feel the little mouth working around him and wondered briefly if that was even... sanitary... But he wasn't going to stop the kid, not if it kept him quiet. As long as Takeshi wasn't crying, it was good.

The blond shifted and sat down on the floor beside the little boy, leaning up against the desk. Quiet was good... this he could handle. He didn't care what he had to do; the kid could suck on his toes if it would keep him happy. And that was seriously gross.

"How's your drawing coming?" he asked Izumi, looking blankly at the scribbles on the paper she held.

"I'm not done." She mumbled. When she looked up and caught Naruto's eyes on her drawing she scowled and readjusted herself so that he couldn't see the paper. "You can't see it until I'm done!"

Takeshi quickly grew bored of mouthing Naruto's finger and promptly dropped his hand. He turned and began to crawl toward the closest bookcase. He crawled along the edge of it, then turned around and paced the other direction. He looked up, and stopped when he spotted a large, brightly colored book above his head. His little eyes gleamed and he reached up for it, gripping at the spine as if he were trying to pull down a toy. The volume teetered and threatened to fall on top of him.

"Uh... okay." Naruto sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Were kids normally so touchy? It didn't look like anything but a bunch of random scribbles... Shaking his head, movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and they widened in horror as he saw the massive book balancing precariously on the shelf.

"N-No! Don't pull that down!" He quickly scrambled over to where Takeshi stood and snatched the book from the kids' grasp, moving it up to a higher shelf where he couldn't reach it.

"Geez, kid, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

Takeshi's eyes widened as he turned his head back and forth between Naruto and the book. His little brows furrowed and stretched up for the book, but he couldn't reach it. He waved his hands up as if that would help, but it was still just as high up as ever. He looked back at Naruto and whined loudly.

"I'm done!" Izumi dropped the pen and trotted over to Naruto with the clipboard in her hands. She held it up for him to see, but couldn't seem to hold still long enough for him to get a good look. "Do you like it? See, I writed _Naru _on it, so you know I gave it to you!"

Takeshi reached for the edge of Naruto's shirt and pulled at it as his whines grew unhappier.

Naruto's head spun as he looked back and forth between the two, unsure who to pay attention to first. The answer was pretty obvious though. Avoid crying at all costs! That was his goal for the day and he was sticking to it. "One sec," he said to Izumi and then turned his full attention to Takeshi.

"I can't give you the book or you'll hurt yourself. Here..." He turned and reached for the backpack he'd brought with him, but it wasn't where he'd put it. Frowning, he looked down beside the chair where he was _sure _he'd put it, but it was nowhere to be seen. "Huh..." he hummed, pulling open random drawers in the desk and looking inside. He looked everywhere, behind a potted plant, on the bookshelf, the floor throughout the office – but found nothing.

"Where did I _put_that thing?" he grumbled. Collapsing in the chair, he groaned in frustration and then looked down. It was right under the desk. Muttering under his breath, he plucked it from the floor and began rooting around inside of it.

"Naru!" Izumi frowned and followed the blonde as he grabbed his backpack and rifled through it. She stepped in front of him and held the picture close to his face, as if he hadn't seen it before. "You wanted to see and I'm done now! You gotta see!"

Takeshi was still sitting in front of the bookshelf, but his eyes were on Naruto. He was clearly still on the fence about whether or not to start crying, but was curious about what his babysitter was doing. He watched with wide, wet eyes as he popped a few fingers into his mouth to suck on.

"I know, I know! It's awesome, Izumi, I just..." Naruto's heart frozen, icy cold shivers shooting though his body as Takeshi whimpered. A tear dripped down his cheek and the blonds' digging became more frenzied. What had Lee done? Just shoved everything in there?

"Just give me a second, okay? I need to get something for your brother..." Exasperated, he took the backpack in hand and dumped the contents of it out on the top of the desk. Everything scattered and a few things fell onto the floor but he didn't care, because he'd found what he was looking for.

Picking out a small stuffed squirrel from the mess, he grinned in triumph and turned to Takeshi. His expression was anxious as he held the small toy out, hoping with everything in him that it would distract the boy.

Takeshi's eyes widened comically as a toothless grin split across his face. He squealed happily and fell on top of the little squirrel with wide arms. His cheeks were pink with excitement as he glomped his favorite toy and squeezed it. Izumi pouted and puffed out her cheeks as she waited for her turn to get Naruto's attention.

"Sorry..." Naruto rubbed at the back of his head, smiling sheepishly at Izumi. He felt bad for making her wait but he would make it up to her. Somehow.

"I'm all yours now," he hummed, reaching forward to ruffle her hair playfully. He gestured to the picture still held in her hand and pulling her closer so he would be able to properly see it. "Show me what you made."

"Here!" Izumi held it up proudly and examined Naruto's face to see his reaction. She fidgeted in place, expecting praise for her handiwork.

The entire page was covered from corner to corner in abstract scribbles. Long, shaky curves covered one side, and the middle was a mess of zigzags and angles. There were circles in random places, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to any of it.

"Do you like it?" She asked brightly. She pulled the picture around to where she could see it and jabbed at a corner of the paper where a lot of zigzags were connected. "See? I wrote 'Naru' right here, 'cause then you'd know it was for you."

"Oh... Oh yeah," Naruto mumbled, frowning as he examined the piece of paper. He stared hard at it, trying to discern what the hell it was. To him, it was nothing but messy scribbles but Izumi seemed really proud of it. "It's for...me? It's uh... it's very nice..."

The blond scratched his head and smiled weakly. Really, it was sweet that she'd made it for him, but... "Um... what is it?"

"I didn' wanna draw Gran'pa Gai, 'cause he wore too much green and I don' have that color to draw with. So instead I drew a butterfly! See?" Izumi poked at the paper again insistently, as if pointing and waving it around would make the image clearer to Naruto. Takeshi was still sitting under the bookshelf, busy drooling on his stuffed squirrel as he blinked up at his sister and babysitter. Izumi looked up at Naruto with expectant eyes.

"That's a butterfly?" Naruto's frown deepened and he snatched the paper from Izumi so that he could study it. No matter how much he looked, no matter what way he turned the picture... It was still nothing but scribbles.

Looking up into the girl's eager, dark eyes, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh yeah... a butterfly. It's very... erm... pretty."

"I would'a made it more pretty if I had more colors." She amended and puffed out her cheeks in thought. "I don' wanna draw anymore. Will you play tag with me?"

Takeshi began crawling quickly across the floor with his squirrel tucked under one arm. He didn't seem to have any destination in mind as he moved toward the center of the room. He looked around with wide eyes and curiosity in his appraising brow as he moved. He stopped and sat for a moment, squeezing his toy as he turned his head about, then began to crawl again as he spotted something that looked interesting. Instead of the bookshelf, he was headed for all the electrical cords that were hooked to the back of Lee's computer and printer.

"Tag?" Naruto asked incredulously, looking at Izumi as though she'd grown a random second head. "In this little office? That... That would _not_ work..." And it wasn't like he could have her running around the gym. _That_would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Takeshi's crawling caught Naruto's eye and he turned his head to see what the little thing was up to. His eyes bugged out as he saw the intended destination and he squealed in panic as he darted across the space and scooped the little troublemaker up.

"Man... This is _reeealllyyy_gonna be a long day."

* * *

><p>It was little over an hour before Lee could separate himself from his duties to check in on Naruto. He had a nagging feeling in the pit of his gut that his husband needed a break already. Poor Naruto was awkward enough around kids, even these kids, and heaven knew how he was handling a baby by himself. He hardly felt comfortable holding it, how could he be responsible for Takeshi all on his own? Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all… Lee's brows furrowed as he strode quickly down the office hallway and opened the door with his name on it.<p>

"Whee! Go faster!" Izumi squealed happily. Her face was twisted with glee as she squirmed from where she was perched on Naruto's back. She gripped the back of his shirt collar and waved her other hand around in the air, and giggled loudly as Naruto crawled around on his hands and knees. The blonde had clearly been roped into a game of 'Horsey'. Takeshi was sitting beneath the window and clapping his hands with a bright grin as he watched. His squirrel was sitting on the floor beside him, and his round eyes were riveted on his sister and Naruto.

Naruto had been entirely enjoying himself, although he would never _ever_admit it to anyone. Izumi was just so happy! And although his palms burned from the carpet, and his knee's felt like they were going to explode, it was worth it. He'd even thrown in sound effects, which seemed to totally delight both the kids.

"Neiiighhhh!" the blond cried in agreement, moving faster. He blew a raspberry in imitation of a horse when the door opened, and he freaked out, which ended with him spitting all over himself and the carpet. He flushed bright red as he recognized Lee's shoes and his cheeks flushed bright red.

The only thing going through Naruto's mind at that precise moment was, '_Oh shit_!'

Lee raised his brows at the look on Naruto's face. The blonde looked like he'd reached the epitome of mortification, complete with a solid brick red coloring his face and eyes as wide around as dinner plates. He'd been in the middle of neighing when Lee had come in, and Lee blinked as he witnessed his husband spitting and sputtering all over himself in embarrassment.

"Well… you seem to be handling childcare even better than I could have hoped." Lee's face slowly broke out into a grin as he sidled forward and looked Naruto and Izumi up and down appraisingly. The little girl was still smiling and jerking on Naruto's collar and bouncing around. "You are more Youthful now than I have ever seen you."

"Yeah, _youthful_..." Naruto grumbled. "More like _insane_..." God, he was _never_ going to live this down. _Ever!_How had he been roped into such an embarrassing thing? More importantly, why had Lee chosen that exact moment to walk in? Did he have 'embarrass Naruto' sensors implanted in him or something? This seemed to happen a lot...

"Can you give me a few minutes? Your horse is gonna die if he doesn't get some water..." The blond gently tugged on Izumi's foot that was dangling down by his side.

Naruto's throat was parched and he was suffering from some serious carpet burn. His head ached from being in an odd position for so long, and he just wanted a few minutes break from the havoc the two monster's had bestowed on him for the past few hours.

"Come now, Izumi. Cowgirls need to know when their horsies are tired." Lee scooped Izumi off Naruto's back and lifted her high into the air. She giggled loudly despite herself and kicked her feet in the air. Lee swung around once and tossed her up, then caught her gracefully in his arms.

"I'm not a cowgirl!" she squealed at him. "I'm a princess!"

"Really? But princesses always ride sidesaddle!" Izumi blinked up at Lee, clearly not understanding.

"You know what? Uncle Gai is really good at playing horsey! He can show you how to ride sidesaddle like a _real_princess." Lee ducked his head out the door and grinned as he spotted his mentor just down the hall. Gai was standing in front of the message board on the wall, examining next week's schedule. Izumi peered around as well, curious. "Hey, Gai? Would you mind playing horsey with Izumi while I speak with Naruto for a moment?"

Gai turned and raised his brows with a smile. "Horsey?"

"Izumi needs to learn how to ride sidesaddle, like a real princess." Lee explained wisely.

Izumi blinked back and forth between Lee and Gai, and then nodded seriously.

"Of course!" Gai grinned and strode quickly to the pair's side and held his arms wide open. "Here, Izumi! Let me show you how to ride a horse of Majestic Beauty with the Utmost Youthful Grace! You will be a true princess in no time!"

Izumi grinned and held her arms out so that Gai could pick her up from Lee's arms. She still thought that Gai was a little weird for a grown-up, but she didn't mind if that meant that she could keep playing.

"Thank you, Grandpa Gai." She said politely as Lee handed her over.

"Grandpa?" Gai exclaimed in mortification.

"Thanks!" Lee shut the door quickly with a wince. He had no doubt in his mind that Naruto had put her up to calling Gai that. Damn blond was always teasing his mentor…

Naruto's laughter could be heard down the hall, above Gai's disturbed shout. When Lee stepped back inside, he was leaning up against the wall with his arms over his chest and a pleased grin on his face. His eyes swirled with mischief as and his grin grew, if that was possible.

"He's never gonna get away from that one," he chuckled, rubbing at his burning palms absently. "Grandpa Gai... that's awesome."

"You are too cruel." Lee chastised mournfully as he shook his head. He glanced down at Takeshi, who had become officially bored with the grownups and had decided to crawl across the floor with his squirrel again. Lee left him be, happy that the baby could entertain himself for the moment.

"Honestly, how have you been doing so far?" Lee asked. He stepped forward and kissed Naruto's cheek gently.

Naruto's smile dissolved and he sighed wearily as Lee's lips brushed over his cheek. He'd been putting on a brave face for the kid's, but he was exhausted and more than ready for the day to be over.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It's been okay, I guess. It's... a lot harder than I thought it would be." His lips twitched upwards slightly and he pulled Lee closer to him. "I thought I had stamina but I can barely keep up with them."

Lee wrapped his arms loosely around Naruto's waist and nodded in understanding. He felt guilty. "I am sorry I could not check on you sooner. I am sure that it has been tough for you. But I am very proud that you have kept them busy so far! I talked to Gai about getting some time off over the next couple days, and he-"

Lee didn't notice, but Takeshi had curved his route from wandering randomly across the floor toward the back of the desk. He was going for the electrical cords _again_.

Naruto was starting to feel better. Just being close to Lee was lifting his mood. But because he was facing out towards the room, he immediately noticed Takeshi wandering where he shouldn't be. Where he'd stopped him from going before. He just couldn't get a break, could he? All he wanted was some time with Lee, to unwind and enjoy his company, but apparently that wasn't going to happen.

"He just doesn't stop!" the blond grumbled, pushing away from Lee so he could scoop the little boy up again. "First he fell when he was trying to walk, then he almost pulled a book down on his head, _then_ he went for the wires, and now he's doing it _again_!"

Naruto handed Takeshi over to Lee and pulled in a deep, shaky breath as he swung the door open and stalked outside. "I'm... going to get a drink."

Lee frowned after Naruto and then blinked down at the baby in his arms. Takeshi was looking up at him with round eyes and sucking on his fingers wetly. The trainer smiled wryly and bounced the baby in his arms a little bit.

"Really, how much trouble can you be?" Lee teased gently. Takeshi reached out and smeared his drool covered hand on Lee's shirt, making Lee wrinkled his brow in distaste. Ew.

"Let us go make sure that Naruto meant a non-alchoholic drink. We would not want your favorite babysitter to get drunk or have a break down just yet, would we?" Lee cooed and bounced Takeshi in his arms as he stepped out of his office.

* * *

><p>"Not much longer now. Within a day or two. They're just waiting for one of yours to be seen, then they'll converge." A low voice spoke into his cell phone as he glanced around the small parking lot with careful eyes. It was late night and there was no one around, but he was still cautious. He'd be in seriously deep shit if anyone found out about these conversations. "Just remember to send me the promised amount and the photographs, and I'll make sure to signal you before it happens this time around."<p>

There was a short pause for breath. The speaker tucked his phone between his ear and shoulder so that he could use his arms to roll his wheelchair across the pavement. He stopped near his car and spoke again.

"Listen, about what happened last Saturday…"

"Don't worry about it," the voice on the other end of the line interrupted. It was smooth and controlled, and the hint of a smile could be heard through it.

There was a quiet scrape as a drawer was pulled open and shuffling as the man rooted through it. A small, frustrated huff could be heard, and then a sigh of relief as the documents he was looking for were found.

"I don't blame you for what happened. My Master's death was unfortunate, but I have put it behind me." He waved his hand dismissively, even though he knew it couldn't be seen. "Now. I have everything set for you. I will have it delivered to you tomorrow. Make sure that you do warn me."

A sharp snap rang out through the room as the phone was abruptly closed. Fingers clenched around the device with enough force to make it creak. The young face contorted with pained rage, his eyes holding a maniacal gleam as he slammed the phone down on the desk.

* * *

><p>"I gotta go potty!" Izumi whined and squirmed pitifully in the backseat of Lee's jeep. It was about four o'clock and they were almost halfway home. He and Naruto had survived the day with the children at the gym, but both of them were feeling the stress.<p>

"How bad? Can you hold it?" Lee looked back at the girl through the rearview mirror with a concerned expression.

"Nuh-uh! I gotta go!" Izumi pouted and twisted her legs together. Takeshi blurbled loudly and squealed for no apparent reason from his perch on Naruto's lap. They knew that it was unsafe to transport a baby in a car with no car-seat, but they didn't currently _own_a car-seat. It hadn't been among the children's few belongings at the house, and they hadn't had time to pick one up in the morning. Therefore, Naruto was in charge of holding the baby on the way home from the gym.

"Alright, alright! I need to stop for gas anyway, so please hold it until we get into the bathroom at the gas station!" Lee drove a little quicker and searched the roadside for a gas station. Every one of Izumi's whines or pleas was making his skin crawl with the thought of what would happen if he didn't find one in time. He _really_didn't want to clean that out of the upholstery of his car.

"Here!" Lee took a sharp right and pulled up onto the curb. He bypassed the pump for now in favor of parking right in front of the front doors of the gas station. He threw Naruto a look as he quickly unbuckled himself and leaped out of the car. Lee tilted his seat forward and helped Izumi out. "I will be right back, Naruto!"

Naruto watched Lee dash into the building with a small smile. While he was tired – god, was he tired – seeing his husband all flustered quickly perked him up a bit.

He glanced down at Takeshi, who looked rather comfortable in his lap, and worried his bottom lip. He didn't want to move the boy, but he _was_rather thirsty, and an energy drink sounded perfect right about then.

Takeshi grumbled as Naruto shifted and unbuckled his seatbelt. He shifted over on the seat and flung the door open, kicking it shut behind him. The little boy grabbed onto his shirt as he entered the store and headed to the cooler's in the back. He browsed the selection for a few moments before pulling one of the door's open and picking out a drink – and then a few more, because he was sure as hell going to need them.

Naruto juggled everything and brought it up to the register. On impulse, he grabbed one of the daily newspaper's and set it down, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet so he could pay for everything.

"… but I do not understand. You were so desperate before!" Lee appeared around the corner again, holding Izumi's hand as they approached the counter. The little girl looked studiously ahead as they walked, though Lee was looking down at her with massively confused eyes. "Are you sure? Really?"

"I already said, I don' gotta go anymore!" Izumi shook her head insistently and pouted. "It went away."

Lee sighed and wilted heavily. He'd never be able to fully understand children, _especially_three-year-old little girls who couldn't make up their minds. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand as he spotted his husband and stepped up beside the blonde at the counter. He nodded briefly to the stout woman behind the counter and forced himself to show Naruto a weak smile.

"Ready to head home?"

"Yeah... more than." Naruto accepted the change from the woman and stowed it in his wallet, slipping it back into his pocket before grabbing the plastic bag filled with heavy cans. He shifted Takeshi on his hip and made his way back to the Jeep, setting his bag down before climbing inside and settling the baby on his lap.

After he'd buckled himself in, he immediately reached for one of the can's and popped it open. He took a huge gulp, relishing in the refreshing cold buzz that trailed down his throat, and smacked his lips happily.

"That should do 'er," Naruto hummed happily, taking another hearty drink.

Lee pulled the jeep around to the gas pump and fitted the nozzle into his car. He was almost done when Izumi began to whine in the back seat again and looked at him through the window with wide eyes.

"Lee!" her bottom lip was protruding in a pout as she bounced in her seat. "I gotta go!"

"But you just said that it went away!" Lee's brows rose and he raised his hand in a wide gesture back to the gas station.

"B-but…" Izumi's eyes widened pleadingly and she squirmed.

"Okay, okay! Gimme just a quick sec, okay?" Lee left the nozzle on automatic and jerked open the car door. He unbuckled the girl and shot Naruto an apologetic look. "I will be right back."

Children were far more trouble than even the Green Beast could have predicted.

* * *

><p>Naruto sighed happily as he rolled over in bed and pressed closer to Lee. He'd only been out of it one night, but he'd missed it so badly. It was perfect in every way and as much as he loved the couch (for gaming purposes), it could not compare in the least to snuggling up to his husband in the comfort of their bedroom.<p>

"I feel like I've had no time with you at all." The blond sighed again, and this time the happiness had dissipated.

"I am sorry." Lee rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around his husband in a close embrace. He leaned in and touched their foreheads together with a small sigh. "Children are even more difficult to manage than I had thought. One day feels like forever already."

Lee really had tried to take them off Naruto's hands as much as possible. He'd even manage to haul Takeshi around with him at the gym for almost an hour before he'd been forced to leave him with Naruto again. Gai had helped as well, but the day had still been stressful.

"But it was not all bad, right? You are learning quickly, and there were good moments. They both really seem to like you." Lee's hand curved up and down Naruto's back in comforting strokes as he met the blonde's eyes apprehensively.

Naruto hummed as the hand gently stroked at him and melted against Lee's body. He draped an arm over strong hips as he thought back over the day.

It hadn't been entirely bad, no. But he couldn't say it had been mostly pleasant. The only thing he felt like he'd learned was that it washard. _Too_ hard. He couldn't even begin to imagine doing that _every day_.

"No, it wasn't all bad, but... Can you really say you want to do this _every single day_, Lee? I know they're your cousin's kids, but I'm exhausted already."

Naruto was quiet for a few moments. His eyes took on a hint of sadness but they were unwavering, staying with Lee's dark ones. "I liked it when it was just you and me..."

"Yeah… yeah, I know." Lee's voice was soft and sad, but he honestly hadn't expected Naruto to adore parenting right away. He would have been surprised if he had, though not displeased.

"I will look into our options tomorrow. I will find out what can be done with them. But you know… this is just the first day. The first days are always the worst. Things can get better." Lee pressed his lips against Naruto's and gripped his hip intimately. "Not to mention that they are both still traumatized about losing their parents. Maybe that is what is making this so hard? For all we know, children could be easier than this, and these kids are just more difficult because they are upset."

Lee didn't even believe those words himself as they came out of his mouth. He just felt like he needed to say _something_in their defense. To be entirely honest however, he was tired, too…

Naruto snorted in disbelief and let his eyes slide closed. A large yawn shook his body and he ran his hand lightly up and down Lee's side, reveling in the way their bodies melded together. One of his legs worked in between his husbands, effectively tangling them together.

"Can we just... leave it alone for now? There are better things we could be doing..."

"Nnng- g-good thinking…" Lee made an encouraging noise in the back of his throat as Naruto's leg wedged into his groin at an angle that made his body shiver. He captured his husband's mouth in an open mouthed kiss and rolled forward. He was leaning over Naruto, pressing their bodies together to get as much contact as he could, and barely rubbing. He kissed Naruto's mouth, cheek, jaw, and nibbled on his neck.

"Think that I might be able to make up for today? It has been tough, but your reward might be worth it…"

"I-I don't know..." Naruto breathed, looking up with hazy eyes. His cheeks were already flushed and he pushed back against Lee, seeking more pressure than was being given to him. His arms wound around his husband's neck and he pulled him down so he could nip at his bottom lip.

"You might have to work pretty hard to make it up to me," he teased, grinning as he nipped at Lee's cheek.

"Hm, I do not mind." Lee chuckled to himself and slipped a hand beneath the waistline of Naruto's boxers. He curled his fingers under the blonde's thigh to lift it higher, and slipped the clothing partially off. Damn, Naruto was nipping at him again; Lee's old hickeys had only just faded away, but now he was bound for a few more. "You were so enthusiastic today… it was sexy. Though you play the horse well, I must admit that I like it better when _you_are the rider."

Naruto stilled, the flush on his cheeks deepening. The scene from earlier replayed in his mind and the gripping mortification came back in full. He really was _never_going to live it down... but the heady tone in Lee's voice snapped him out of it, and he was soon smirking.

"Yeah? Well... I like that better, too..." he snickered, pushing on Lee so that he could roll over and sit on top of him. He straddled the strong legs and raked his nails firmly but gently down the flat chest. Heat was rushing towards his groin and he leaned forward so he could press their groins together.

Lee propped himself up on his elbows and grinned up at Naruto. He hissed between his teeth in appreciation of the blonde's stimulation and _mmm_'ed softly under his breath. Naruto really could be forceful when he wanted something, and hot damn if Lee wasn't going to give it to him.

Reaching down between their bodies with one hand, Lee pulled down their boxers low enough to free their erections. He took both their bodies into his hand and stroked up and down slowly and tightly. His head fell back a bit, and his lidded eyes raptly watched the part between Naruto's swollen lips.

"Mmm, Lee..." Naruto breathed, his eyes closing in bliss as the strong, warm hand grasped his length. The firm pressure of the other one against him sent shiver's up and down his spine, and panting breaths slipped through his lips. God, he'd needed this...

The blond chewed at his lip and moved his hands back to grip strong thighs. He used the leverage to thrust his hips, following the slow pace that Lee had set.

Lee shuddered as Naruto moved on top of him and sent sparks lighting through his body. He loved the way it felt when he and Naruto were pressed together like this, feeding off each other's warmth, moving in synch, sharing the pleasure that was both familiar and exciting as they kissed and touched and groaned. The bed sheets beneath their bodies were soothing silk against his skin and the sound of Naruto's sharp breath was so alluring. Lee curved his body forward and kissed at his husband's skin, any part of him he could reach. He nipped gently with his teeth, as a small form of payback for his own well earned hickeys.

Lee's hand suddenly stopped and his body tensed as he heard a shuffling outside their door. His hearing perked and his eyes became wide as globes as he recognized Izumi's voice. The handle on their door began to turn.

"WARGH!" Lee shoved Naruto off of him and rolled away. He miscalculated and ended up taking most of the covers with him, wrapped tightly and constraining his legs as he fell off his side of the bed. He landed on the floor with a heavy _thump_and a yelp of shock.

Naruto squawked loudly as he was hastily shoved off of Lee. He flailed wildly and as his husband tumbled off the bed on the other side; he went flying off his own. He landed on the floor with a groan and rubbed absently at his backside.

"_Lee_, what the _he_-" The blond choked on his words as the door creaked opens an inch and he squeaked, diving under the bed in a panic. His cheeks flamed brightly and he smacked his forehead with his palm. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Izumi poked her head through the crack in the door and peered inside with wide, frightened eyes. She had tears on her cheeks and was sniffling miserably.

"N-Naru? Lee?" She stepped inside the doorway and rubbed at her wet eyes. She was wearing simple loose pants and t-shirt pajamas with a picture of Tinkerbell on the front of her shirt. Her bare feet fidgeted as he sniffling grew louder. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Lee was grateful that the blankets had wrapped around him during his fall, since it had successfully covered him up. He had lost his hard-on with the shock of the fall (luckily). He pulled his boxers back on properly and kicked the blankets off his legs.

"What is wrong, Izumi? Why can you not sleep in the living room?"

"I had a nightmare." Izumi's eyes welled up again heavily and her breaths began to resemble whimpers as she unsuccessfully fought the urge to cry. Lee's heart sank at the look in her round, dark eyes. Her long eyelashes glistened with tears.

Naruto face was set in an irritated scowl as he worked his hands down so he could pull his boxers back where they belonged. He grasped the hem and wiggled his hips until they were in place. Some of his annoyance faded away, but his cheeks were still pink.

The blond squirmed over the floor like a worm until he was able to drag himself out from under the bed. He gazed at Izumi, who was still standing in the doorway and sighed. Apparently release was off the agenda again...

"I guess you can sleep here," Naruto grumbled, climbing back into bed and pulling the covers up over him. "But you have to go back to the couch tomorrow night..."

Izumi finally burst into relieved tears as she ran toward the bed. She climbed on the tall mattress as fast as she could and threw herself on Naruto miserably. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and hiccupped between crying.

Lee stood up and brushed himself off sheepishly. He felt bad for them, both Naruto and Izumi. He had really wanted to make it up to Naruto, but at the same time he appreciated that his husband didn't simply tell her to go back to the couch. The poor girl needed someone to cuddle up to right now.

"Thank you, Naruto." Lee murmured softly. His mouth pulled up in a weak smile as he leaned over the bed and patted Izumi's back. "I will remake the bed overtop you two and make sure that the baby is alright by his own out there. Then I will come back and we will all go to sleep. I promise I will make this up to you somehow."

Naruto grunted as Izumi flung herself at him and froze. Slowly, he brought his arm down and awkwardly patted at her back. The tears soaked into his neck, sticky and uncomfortable

Naruto's eyes widened as he suddenly had an armful of upset kid. Slowly, he brought his hand up and awkwardly patted at her back, biting his lip. The tears dripped onto his neck, sticky and uncomfortable, but he didn't push her away.

"It's fine, Lee. It's not a big deal," the blond assured, meeting the weak smile with a genuine one. He settled down in the bed and fixed the pillows so Izumi would have somewhere to lay her head - if she ever let go of him - and yawned widely.

"You'll be okay," he said quietly to Izumi, his eyes swirling with affection and mirth. "Lee is like, the strongest guy in the world. The bad dreams can't get you here. He'll just beat them up."

Lee smiled affectionately at his husband. He rubbed Izumi's back comfortingly and petted her hair. "That is right, Izumi! No bad dreams will come anywhere near you while Naruto and I are here. But just for tonight, alright?"

Izumi sniffled loudly and nodded against Naruto's neck, but didn't let go of the blonde. Lee stepped back and untangled the covers that had fallen off the bed with him. He threw the sheet neatly overtop Naruto and Izumi's heads, followed by the rest of the blankets. He pulled the top edges down to their necks and winked then Izumi's bloodshot eyes peeked out at him.

"I will be right back." He assured them both, and then went to check on Takeshi.

Izumi was silent for a moment, aside from her little whimpers and sniffles. She was finally beginning to calm down. Her little body relaxed a little and her eyes closed.

"I want my mommy." She mumbled pitifully.

"I-" Naruto had no idea what to say to that. He couldn't tell Izumi her mother was coming back. There was nothing he could ever say to make her stop missing her parents; he knew that from experience. It would probably never go away.

"I know you do..." He murmured, shifting so that he was lying on his side. He tucked her smaller body against him and sighed. He ran his fingers gently through her long hair, which was soothing to him, and he only hoped it would help.

"Your mommy can't be here right now, but... you'll be okay. Lee and I are... we're... going to take care of you and your brother..."

Izumi didn't say anything. Her jaw had fallen slack and her face was relaxed, though still wet. She'd fallen back asleep. Lee came back into the room just a couple minutes later. He smiled at the image of Naruto curled up with Izumi tucked against him under the covers. Naruto was still combing her hair with his fingers soothingly. It was touching.

"Takeshi will be fine for tonight." He whispered as he crawled under the covers on Izumi's other side. "I boxed him in with pillows so that he will not roll over the wrong way and fall. I will just keep an ear out for any crying tonight."

Lee sighed softly and reached over Izumi to pet Naruto's hair for a moment. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams."

"Night," Naruto smiled, grasping the hand that was stroking his hair. He placed a loving kiss on Lee's knuckles and twined their fingers together before settling down to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Uh-huh… yeah, I <em>know<em>, right? This is _so_ gross! I mean, I can _live_ with a couple of gay dudes next door, I don't care if they're sticking it up each other's asses, really. But _this?_ Yeah… well, _cha!_ That's what I said! I know… yeah…" Sakura nodded into her phone as she leaned back against the arm of her couch. Her window shades were cracked open so that she could see through to her neighbor's lawn. She'd seen Lee and Naruto come home together today, but that wasn't abnormal. What was weird and _wrong _was that they'd been toting two kids! It was sick!

"I mean, why would the government even _allow_ gays to raise kids? I mean, they can't breed for a reason; we don't need those kinds of people converting straight kids! Ugh! Uh-huh… yep… well, _yeah_. Shut up Ino, you know what I mean. Yeah… that's right… well, _duh_ I'm going to say something!"


End file.
